be quiet! Light Loop 360 CPU Cooler Review
Meet the be quiet! Light Loop series of liquid coolers
Meet the be quiet Light Loop series
It’s finally time to have an in-depth look at be quiet’s newest CPU coolers. Presenting the be quiet Light Loop 360mm. Specifically, we will be reviewing the white model of this cooler today using our new CPU cooler test rig.
We saw this new cooler at Computex 2024, and we were excited to see how well these new liquid coolers performed. Specifically, we were interested in seeing the impact of this cooler’s Ryzen offset mounts. Does an 8mm offset really help to lower Ryzen CPU thermals, or is it a gimmick?
Packaging
Once we enter the box, everything is pretty standard. All components are protected in the box, though we will note that this AIO doesn’t ship with pre-installed fans, unlike some other newer AIOs. This isn’t a major issue, as fans are quick and easy to install.
Neat Aesthetics
be quiet’s new Light Loops liquid coolers carry a different aesthetic to other be quiet products. On both this unit’s radiator and pump/block unit, we have a slatted design. This makes be quiet’s new cooler look a little different to other AIOs. Radiator-wise, these slats are a welcome change to the usual, overly plain, aesthetic of liquid cooling radiators.
The entire top of be quiet’s new Light Loop block can be illuminated by 16 ARGB LEDs, allowing users to enjoy a variety of lighting effects.
Be Quiet’s Light Wings LX Fans
This new liquid cooler comes with three of be quiet’s new Light Wings LX series fans. These fans all feature 16 ARGB LEDs within their hub and feature frosted blades to deliver excellent light dispersion. These are newly released fans from be quiet, and will be available as a standalone product soon.
OC3D CPU Cooler Test Rig Specifications
This review is third to use our new CPU cooler test rig. This new PC has a newer, hotter-running, CPU, a more power-hungry graphics card, and a cooling layout that is common for today’s gaming PCs. Simply put, we have moved to more modern hardware so that we can better test modern CPU cooling solutions. See the full specifications of this system below.
CPU: Intel i5-14600K @1.27V (Fixed)
Motherboard: ASUS ROG Strix Z790-E Gaming WIFI
Case: Custom Lian Li O11 EVO XL
Memory: G.Skill Trident Z5 Neo DDR5-6000 32GB (2x16GB)
GPU: Sapphire RX 7900 GRE Nitro+
PSU: be quiet Dark Power 1,000W
Fans: 4x be quiet Silent Wings 4 fans
We have also tested this PC on the below Ryzen-based system. This was so that we could see the impact of this CPU’s offset mounting option.
be quiet Light Loop Ryzen Offset Mount
One of the key features of this liquid cooler, at least for AMD Ryzen users, is its offset mounts for AM5 CPUs. As many AMD fans will know, the “hot spot” of AMD’s chiplet-based Ryzen 7000/9000 series CPUs is not at the center of their CPU’s integrated heatspreader (IHS). To better optimise cooling performance, be quiet has added an 8mm offset option for AM5, allowing the center of be quiet’s water block to sit over this hotspot. This enabled increased cooling performance.
Ryzen users can choose whether or not to use this offset. That’s good for AM5 users, as future Ryzen CPUs may not need this offset to perform optimally. Beyond that, non-Chiplet AM5 CPUs, like the Ryzen 7 8700G, do not use a chiplet design and have a more standard “hotspot” location.
Pricing
Sadly, we do not currently have the UK pricing for be quiet’s new Light Loop 360mm liquid coolers. However, we have the EU and US pricing for these AIOs. In the UK, we expect the white version of this AIO to cost around £139.99 (given the current exchange rate).
Fan Controller
Note that this AIO ships with a fan/RGB hub, This allows users to hide most of their system’s cable mess behind their motherboard trays. This hub can control up to six PWM/ARGB devices.
